Legend of Zelda: Day Before the Dawn
by TheJadeDragon37
Summary: Link has returned to Hyrule after finding Navi. Now he has his heart set on becoming one of Hyrule's knights so he can continue to defend the land. Is that really what he wants though? There might be a certain red head ranch girl that could change his mind. There is an appeal Malon has that the boy hero can't fully understand.


Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda.

**(A/N):** I'm writing Zelda now folks! It was only a matter of time. I'm the nerd that's played and beat every Zelda out there. I did whatever I could in order to fulfill that mission. All that being said this fic is a setup fic. It's going to set up a fic called Fire Emblem: The Golden Goddesses. That's the sequel I have planned for Fire Emblem: Path to the Dawn (Golden Sun: Dark Dawn/Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn fic). I hope this gains FE:PttD some more readers and reviewers. Don't worry it's rated M just cause I don't want to step on anyone toes. It probably could drop to T.

I plan for this Hyrule to be much larger than the OoT Hyrule. In game it takes like a day by Epona to cross from Kakariko Village to Lake Hylia. In this fic it'll be a week by horseback to make that same trip. So there'll also be a few more towns involved in the story. That being said any idea for town names is greatly appreciated. Hyrule Market is a part of Castle Town. Onto the reason you're here, the story. (Or for some Link/Malon romance.)

Chapter 1

It was quiet in the Lost Woods. Normally filled with the sounds of the forest creatures going about their life they all remained silent as a Hylian boy rode through on his copper colored horse. Even the creatures of the forest knew the story of the boy who had saved both Hyrule and Termina with the aid of a mystical ocarina. He wasn't much to look at, blonde hair sticking out from a emerald green windsock cap. His green tunic cut in the style of the Kokiri and a pair of white leggings covered the Hylian along with brown boots and gloves. Sword and shield rested on his back. The shield had a mirror like surface that reflected the sunlight that managed to find its way through the densely packed leaves. While the sword was sheathed the inhabitants of the forest knew the gold and black blade, the deadly Gilded Sword. All the creatures had seen many Deku Scrubs, Wolfos, and even a few Stalfos fall to the Hylian boy, Link. The smile on Link's face didn't seem like that of a killer. It was the smile of someone who had finally got what he wanted.

"Navi!" Link called out from atop Epona.

A light blue orb of light with wings came zipping out of the woods. Link had set off to find his fairy companion a year ago on the day of his twelfth birthday. Now after a year's worth searching he had found Navi. When he had set off Link didn't know that there were other Kokiri villages in the Lost Woods. Each village had its own version of the Deku Tree. A Great Fairy had been the guardian of the village Link had found Navi in. She had been sent there after they returned from the future to be the guardian of another Kokiri child. In the three years that Navi had spent at the village the Great Fairy and never assigned her to a new child. Whenever the small fairy asked why that was so the Great Fairy simply told her to that her partner wasn't here yet. Navi had waited semi-patiently until the day that Link rode in on Epona. His arrival caused quite a stir amongst the Kokiri. When the Great Fairy heard that Link had arrived she had smiled at Navi. The little guardian was instructed to go and protect her old charge like before.

"What is it Link?" Navi answered gleefully.

"How much longer till we hit Hyrule Field?" Link asked to put an end to his traveling.

"We should get there around nightfall. Do you think that Stalchildren still come out at night?" Navi pulsed white with worry.

"If they do I'll put on the Captain's Hat I got in Termina and talk with them. I hope it works on Hylian Stalchildren." Link pondered what he would do if the magic in the mask didn't work.

"How many masks did you get?" Navi vanished into a sack on Epona.

"Twenty-four of them." Link opened the bag Navi had gone in. "Twenty of them are kinda normal kinda special and the other four transform me."

Navi flew out of the mask bag the Kafei mask coming out with her. She floated there waiting for Link to remove the mask and put it back in the bag. "Was Termina better or worse than Hyrule?"

"Both. Everything seemed easier since I already knew how the gear worked and I had practice with dungeons. Living the same three days over and over again was hard on my mind. Suddenly becoming seven years older was less of a headache." Link laughed at his own predicament. Time travel wasn't exactly kind to those that it caught a hold of.

Navi kept pestering Link about what he had done in Termina. She wanted to know everything that he had gone through. There was a lot that Link had done in the repeated three days. Reaching into a saddlebag, a gift from the Romani Ranch girls, Link took out his Bomber's Notebook. It was one of the items that had followed him through time and unlike the others the contents were affected by the time warp. Using the Notebook as a reference Link told Navi about his time in Clock Town and the surrounding areas. Link felt like he would have to break out the All Night Mask in order to tell the story. Link felt like Anju's grandmother as he told his story.

Telling Navi about the Great Bay and his first time as a Zora Link brought Epona to a stop when he noticed the trees thinning. Pushing her into a trot Epona took Link out of the Lost Woods and out into the open area of Hyrule Field. Link looked up at the partly cloudy sky . It was good to be back in the land of his birth. As Navi had estimated it was fast approaching night the setting sun casting a pink glow across the sky. Not wanting to waste any time Link pulled out the skeletal Captain's Hat and put it on ready for the Stalchildren. Navi circled wide around Epone listening for the sounds of claws scratching at dirt trying to break out of the ground.

"Where we headed Link?" Navi asked as she floated high above the ground.

"Death Mountain is that way." Link was pointing in the direction of Hyrule's tallest peak. "We head that way and we'll either hit Lon Lon Ranch, Castle Town, or Kakariko Village.

"You hoping for which one?"

"Lon Lon. I forgot to empty out my bank account in Termina. I'm a rupee-less hero and Talon always let me stay if I helped out around the ranch." Link said kicking Epona into a canter.

"I thought you'd want to go straight to Castle Town and see Zelda." Navi teased. "You were practically drooling when Sheik turned into Zelda."

"I was seventeen Navi. Sorta." Like replied weakly.

Thankfully for Link the sun fully set and a Stalchild broke out of the ground. When it spotted the traveling Hylian it started to hobble over. Sliding off Epona's back Link approached the monster carefully. Unsure if the mask would actually work or not Link was ready for an attack. The Stalchild stopped its advance its glowing eyes staring at the mask Link was wearing. Before Link had a chance to say a word the creature reared back getting ready to launch its attack. Backflipping away Link pulled out his sword and shield.

"Okay, mask doesn't work." Link said blocking a claw with his shield as he charged forward.

No matter how many attacks hit it the mirror shield never showed any scratches. Two quick slashes with his sword and the Stalchild burned in blue flames. Hopping back onto Epona the boy hero urged her into a full gallop. Navi floated into Link's shirt unable to fly at the speed of the running horse for extended periods of time. They dodged past the claws of rising Stalchildren as Link kept Epona on course to Death Mountain the landmark just a black shape against the night sky. After a few minutes at top speed Link slowed Epona down to a walk. No claws reached out of the ground as they continued on.

Felling it was now safe enough Link brought Epona to a stop near a few trees. Getting down he reached into his pouch and checked to see if he still had some tinder and flint. Finding them at the bottom he set them on a nearby stone. Breaking a few branches off the trees and picking up the already fallen ones Link built himself a small fire. Once the flames were flickering alive and well he tied his faithful horse to a tree and removed the saddlebag and saddle from her. Taking a few plants out of the bag Link headed over to the fire. They were red leaves with blue veins. They came from a flower called Din's Wrath. The petals of the flower were yellow with red around the edges. While the flower made a potent poison the leaves from the stem acted as a strong purifying agent against dark forces. Tossing the leaves into the fire it turned a deep crimson and leapt into the air. with the addition of the leaves no Stalchild or any other normal monster would want to approach the fire.

"I'll watch the fire Link. You should get some sleep." Navi advised.

"Thanks Navi." Link curled up on the ground and using the saddlebags as a pillow he drifted to sleep.

Link woke up with the sun. His sleep had been interrupted by the fire coming close to dying but Link felt well rested. There were times when he had only gotten an hour or two of sleep and tackled dungeon the next day. Making sure that the fire was completely out Like saddled Epona and head in the direction of Death Mountain once again. There was the distinct possibility that Link had come out near Lake Hylia but the mountain seemed too large for that to be true. If it was it'd add another few days until he reached any one of the three destinations he wanted to hit. Travel across the field was slow. It was better than the forest of never ending trees that all looked the same. Hills, clouds, and rocks dotted Link's view offering a much different scene that what he had been used to for almost a year. Navi asked Link if he would continue his story and he happily obliged.

Farore shown down on her chosen this day. Before the sun had reached its zenith Link was able to see the high fences of Lon Lon Ranch in the distance. Without instruction Epona picked up speed and headed in the direction of the ranch. Link let out a carefree laugh as he felt the wind rushing against his face. Nothing he had experienced beat the feel of riding a horse at full speed, when you're not being chased. The ground was blur it seemed as the copper horse ran across the field. Link slowed her down when they reached the entrance to the ranch. Dismounting he took the reins in hand and walked through the gate and into Epona's home. A place Link had spent a lot of time at.

He lead Epona between the house, where he won a bottle of milk and the stables. If only Link had known how useful the bottle would be in his first quest he would have gotten it right after meeting with Zelda. Instead he had gotten it on his way back to Castle Town after getting the Goron's Ruby. Would have been nice to carry around an extra pink fairy when he had gone through Dodongo Cavern. Coming out to the open area of the ranch Link couldn't hear the familiar singing that he associated with the ranch. In fact the only sounds he could hear where that of the horses running around in their corral and the clucking of demonic cuccos. Wondering where his old friend was at Link left Epona alone in the field and ran back to the house. Knocking twice Link waited for someone to answer the door. He expected Talon to be inside asleep but that still left Malon and Ingo. When no one came to the door Link let himself in like old times. Sure enough sleeping on the floor in front of a counter just like three years ago was Talon. The "super cuccos" still clucking away next to him.

"Hey Talon!" Link shouted.

All the white birds in the room stopped their pecking and faced Link. Black beady soulless eyes stared at the young hero. One of the super cuccos let out a loud call. That was the signal the other were waiting for. A flurry of angry feathers and beaks were upon Link in a matter of seconds. Link knew then and there his life would be over. He had beaten Ganon and Majora only to be done in by demonic poultry. Falling to the floor in defeat Link didn't blame his bottled fairy for staying in the safety of its glass prison. His life was cut at short at the young age of thirteen.

"Enough!" a female voice shouted from outside the white tornado of death.

The pecking and clawing stopped at the sound of the voice. Sensing that it was now safe the pink fairy left its bottle and revived the fallen hero. Coming back to life Link stood up and looked for who had put an end to the attack. Standing at the top of the stairs was a girl in a peach skirt and pink blouse. A waterfall of amber hair was the only clue Link needed to figure out who had saved him. Looking at her face Link confirmed that it indeed was Malon that had saved him from such a pathetic death. She raced downstairs barefoot and shooed away a few cuccos that had started approaching Link again.

"Sorry about that. Dad trained them to attack robbers." Malon apologized as she got rid of the last bird. She turned around and let out a gasp when she came face to face with Link. "Fairy Boy?"

Link hung his head in shame. He had thought that Malon would have grown up enough that she would have dropped that nickname she had given him. Navi, who had retreated to the relative safety of the ceiling, floated back down to Link. With her circling around him like old times Link gave in and nodded his head confirming Malon's suspicions.

"You're finally back." Malon's eyes lit up. "That means Epona's here to!"

Without so much as a "how are you doing?" Malon opened the door and ran out to the field. Link rubbed the back of his head and sighed. Malon hadn't changed it seemed. Then noticing he was alone with the sleeping Talon and the flock of death Link hightailed it out of the house after Malon. Shutting the door behind him Link swore he heard the sounds of the birds throwing themselves against the wooden barrier. Heading out into the field Link could now hear the singing that went with Lon Lon Ranch. Coming out from between the two buildings Link could see Malon standing in the middle of the corral like she had been when he first came to the ranch. Epona was next to her the saddle and bags no longer on her back. Link saw his belongings sitting at the entrance to the pen. Malon sure could work fast.

Letting himself into the corral Link came up to the two in the center. He placed his hand on Epona's mane and rubbed her gently. She nuzzled up against Link in appreciation almost knocking him over. Memories of his first visit to the ranch came flooding back to Link. He had come after hearing all about the delicious milk in Kakariko. He remembered learning Epona's Song on his Fairy Ocarina. It had taken him a good twenty minutes to match Malon's singing well enough for Epona to realize what he was playing. Malon had been patient and fine with repeating her mother's song over and over for Link. Epona had followed him all over once he had gotten the song right. Malon had to hold her back while Link snuck out of the pen. Link had spent a lot of time at Lon Lon in the future timeline. This place and Kakariko had been his main places of operation.

"So Fairy Boy what took you so long to get back?' Malon poked Link in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Navi wasn't exactly easy to find." Link swatted Malon's hand away before she could poke again. "It took a while to even get an idea where to look."

"You've been gone for a whole year!" Malon exclaimed. "How can you call the 'a while'?"

Cause a year is nothing when you travel through time. Link thought with a mental laugh. "Oh come on Malon. It was only a year."

"I know. That's a long time Fairy Boy. So where'd you go exactly?"

Link wasn't sure how to respond. Saving Termina wasn't exactly a believable story even without the time travel. After that incident Link had spent his time wandering the Lost Woods. Yeah he had come across Kokiri villages but they had all asked him to keep their village secret before he had left. Link had promised each and every guardian that he would keep the location a secret. Take away Termina and the Kokiri villages and wondering the Lost Woods for a year would sound horribly boring.

"Just kind of went all over." Link answered lamely. "Never stayed in a place for more than three days. I was pretty single minded in my search for Navi."

"Sounds like fun. Dad only take me to Castle Town and Kakariko Village for deliveries." Malon sighed.

"That reminds me I need to go to Castle Town. I borrowed something from a friend and she's going to want it back I bet." Link patted a pouch on his belt.

The sacred Ocarina of Time rested in that pouch. A blue instrument that changed form with Link. Princess Zelda had given it to him before he left to search for Navi. He had promised that once he found his friend he would come back and return the item. Link didn't plan on any more adventures and felt it wouldn't be right for him to keep a royal family treasure. He had become attached to it in his travels and a part of him didn't want to part with it. Still a promise was a promise and he had every intention of giving it back to its rightful owner. With any luck the castle's security hadn't gotten any better in the year he had been gone.

"Farore Link. Is there anything you didn't borrow?" Malon exaggerated.

"My clothes." Link said proudly causing Malon to giggle.

"Malon!" Talon's voice came from the direction of the house.

"Now he wakes up." Link mumbled to himself.

Link and Malon ran off to go see what her father wanted. They found him in the barn pulling out the wagon they used for delivering their milk. It certainly had seen better days. Nicks and scratches lined the wooden transport giving it an old and worn look. Lon Lon Milk was the best and as peaceful as Hyrule seemed it had its fair share of bandits. Add in the Gerudo and Hyrule had more than its fair share. Link had never run into the normal thieves but he had heard tales. Knowing that such people were out in the field it was a wonder that Lon Lon was able to make safe trips at all.

"Dad stop." Malon instructed her father herding him away from the wagon. "Did you forget that the guards won't be coming today? They had to move the delivery to tomorrow. It's past noon anyways. If we were doing a trip we'd be well on our way by now."

Unable to help himself Link snickered. Talon was still lazy and forgetful. From the look of things Malon's place as the real owner of Lon Lon hadn't changed. If he ever got the chance Linka would take Talon to Termina's Milk Bar and introduce him to is hard working look-a-like. Then again taking any Hylian to Termina might just freak everyone out. Best to have the twins stay away from one another. It was still a mystery to Link if Termina was just another country or another world altogether. The way he went from one to the other had been too easy.

"Farore Malon. Ya could have told me that 'efore I tried to the the wagon out." Talon said with a hearty laugh.

"If you would just remember on your own." Malon replied angrily. "Did you at least give the cuccos their feed today?"

They were fed alright. I bet hero tastes good. Link shuddered at the memory of all the beaks and talon tearing him apart.

"Hey Malon. Who's yer friend?" Talon pointed at Link finally noticing the green clad stranger standing next to his daughter.

"It's Link," the mentioned boy smiled at the use of his real name, "the one who asked for Epona a year ago."

Talon looked Link over. It was visible when Talon recognized. "How ya doin' boy?"

"I'm doing well." Link answered.

"Leave the rest of today's chores to me an' Ingo today Malon. It's not offen a friend of yers visits." Talon was wearing a large smile on his face.

"Dad" Malon started.

"Don't worry. You ain't gonna be young fer much longer. Have some fun while ya can. "Talon used such a tone of authority Link wondered if it really was Talon talking.

"Alright. But if all the chores aren't done I'm not fixing eggs with dinner." Malon threatened. She grabbed Link by the hand. "Come on Fairy Boy."

Link was dragged out of the barn Navi floating after him. They went and first moved Link's belongings out of the way. Malon wanted to put them in the house but Link refused to go in with the cuccos still on the loose inside. He was out of pink fairies and didn't want to risk being in need of one again due to white feathered demons. Shaking her head Malon headed into the house on her own carrying Link's bags. He was now stuck at Lon Lon until either the cuccos were put away or he could get someone to bring the bags out of the house. Navi snickered from her perch on Link's hat.

Following after his friend Malon led Link to one of the fence of the ranch. A pile of rocks went up about halfway. A few of them seemed to be arranged into a small platform at the top. Without a word Malon scampered up the rocks. She never once hesitated on her path up and didn't stop until she reached the top where she stood on the platform. Reaching into a pouch on his belt Link produced the yellow Hookshot he had gotten in the Great Bay. Hyrule's Hookshot was still with Dampé and the Longshot within the Water Temple. Aiming the metal point at the wooden fence Link pressed the button causing the firing mechanism to launch the hook out. When it embedded into the fence Link pressed on the button and it started to retract at an amazing speed pulling him up to the platform. Landing next to Malon Link smiled a big cheesy grin.

"Cheater." was all Malon said before she looked over the fence.

Looking out over the fence Link understood why Malon had brought him here. It was spectacular view of Castle Town and Hyrule Castle. Link was going to have to go there sooner or later. He had discussed it with Navi when not long after they had been reunited. She had wanted to know what he planned to do now that he didn't have to save the world and wasn't looking for her. It had taken him a few hours but Link had come up with the idea of being a soldier of Hyrule. Already he knew how to wield a sword and was one of the best fighters out there. Time spent in the dojo of Termina had taught Link a lot of swordwork. Sometimes Link had repeated three days just to spend time perfecting his swordsmanship there. Another reason Link thought it would be a good idea was that he already had traveled across Hyrule and made friends within each of the races. Saria of the Kokiri, Darunia leader of the Gorons, Ruto Princess of the Zoras, and Nabooru of the Gerudo. So far they hadn't had need to awaken. Before he had set out for Termina Link had checked each of the temples for any signs of evil influence. Finding nothing in them Link felt fine the Rauru would be able to call them should the need arise.

Leaning against the top of the fence Link felt like he was going to find a home at Hyrule Castle amongst the guards. Sure he might be young and no doubt he would have to become a squire or something first but he saw a road to a normal life and Link wanted nothing more than to take it. Zelda might be able to help the process along get him a Knight that would let him take the tests for Knighthood early. Link just felt that helping to protect Hyrule was what he wanted to do. He had already faced the worst possible threat that was going to come their way. Nothing was going to scare him away from protecting his homeland. It was his duty to keep the land safe. Even though the Triforce had been broken in an alternate timeline the three chosen retained their individual pieces in this timeline. Ganondorf didn't seem to realize that he had the Triforce of Power sleeping inside of him. Link knew that he had the Triforce of Courage in him still, he could still feel the power radiating inside. It was partly how he was able to convince Zelda of this time that they didn't need to open the Door of Time. There wasn't a Triforce behind it to protect anymore. The Triforce of Wisdom had reacted within Zelda when Link had approached her after being sent back in time. Impa, Sage of Shadows, was the only one of the sages that had awakened on her own in this time. She now kept an eye on Ganondorf to see if he would ever become a problem for this time.

Ganondorf was another reason Link wanted to join the guard. If the man did realize what was sleeping inside him Link would need to be in shape in order defeat him. Courage was a strong piece but the Triforce of Power was easier to master. Ganondorf would be able to wage war quickly. Zelda hadn't been able to convince her father that the Gerudo King was a threat to Hyrule and so he lived on constantly under watch by the Sheikah Sage.

"So what do you think of the view Link?" Malon asked bring him back to the present.

"It's wonderful. Have you ever been to the castle?" Link asked curious as to how far Talon took her on the delivery.

"No. Dad always leaves me in the market when he goes to the castle to make the final delivery. We have a new buyer in the marketplace and she owns a general shop and lets me stay with there while dad makes the trip. I think she like him." Malon informed Link matter of factly.

Link was caught off guard by Malon's causal reaction to a woman liking her father. It just didn't seem like the reaction a normal child would have to their father possibly marrying again. Then again it was Malon and Talon he was dealing with. Malon was more adult now than Link was when he was seventeen. Life taking care of her father and the ranch had caused her to grow up faster than Link's adventure had. After Termina though and the repeated days Link honestly felt like he was older than seventeen and now he was only physically thirteen. He had learned more about the darker side of life in that other land. He had also seen what love could do when it was given a chance. Anju and Kafei had been a prime example of what the heart could accomplish. With a little aid from a someone who was willing to lend it.

"Wow. I don't think I could see Talon with anyone." Link thought aloud.

"Yeah dad is a little reluctant it seems. I think he thinks that I would be uncomfortable with it. He's just using me as an excuse though." Malon told Link.

"Well you two are going to the market tomorrow right? Why not help your dad out a little. Sometimes people just need a little push." Link advised with a sage like tone. "Oh. Speaking of heading to Castle Town. Think I can stay the night and catch a ride with you guys tomorrow?"

"I don't see why not. Dad has let you stay the night before. We'll ask him after dinner when he's at his happiest. " Malon was facing out towards Castle Town so Link couldn't see her smile at the prospect of him staying the night.

"Great. I'll help load the cart up. In one of the towns I stayed in I would help these ranch girls deliver milk. Cremia insisted that she be the one to lead it all up but I arrived early and helped load the cart." Link bragged.

"Well think you can help with some chores today? I know dad said that he and Ingo would get all of them done but Dad keeps forgetting he fired Ingo for repeatedly forgetting to lock up the cuccos at night. We kept waking up with them in our beds. I don't know how they got past the doors." Malon was already making her way down the rock pile to the ground to get started on her share of the chores.

Link jumped off the platform and landed with a roll like a Deku Scrub had taught him all those years back. "Sure no problem. Your dad always had me work for my meal anyway."


End file.
